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A 27 year-old resident of northern Manhattan was arrested this past Sat., Nov. 19th on charges of plotting to build and detonate bombs in New York.
As detailed in a press conference at City Hall late on Sunday evening convened by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, NYPD Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, the suspect Jose Pimentel, a convert to Islam who also used the name Muhammad Yusuf, had been under police surveillance for the past two years, and had, since August, begun in earnest to plan for attacks involving bombs.
“Pimentel talked about killing U.S. military personnel returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, particularly Marines and Army personnel,” said Commissioner Kelly. “He talked about bombing post offices in and around Washington Heights and police cars in New York City.”
Allegedly a devotee of the American-born Islamic scholar Anwar al-Awlaki, Pimentel was a native of the Dominican Republic and a naturalized citizen of the United States. After arriving in the States at the age of 8, Pimentel had spent most of life in Manhattan, save for five years in Schenectady, New York.
After Awlaki’s death by American forces in Yemen, it is alleged that Pimentel had become more radicalized, and, according to Commissioner Kelly, had considered changing his name to Osama Hussein, “to celebrate his heroes,” in his words, referring to Osama bin-Laden and Saddam Hussein.
As Mayor Bloomberg explained during the press conference, Pimentel, who also maintained a website titled “www.trueislam1.com” and is alleged to have been an Al-Qaida sympathizer, did not act with accomplices but was, by all appearances, “a total lone wolf.”
After coming close to fully completing at least three bombs, Pimentel was arrested on Saturday night for fear that he would, as he had allegedly revealed to police informants, test his bombs, and embark on a bombing spree.
“We had to act quickly," said Commissioner Kelly, "because he was in fact putting this bomb together."
In response, local elected officials in northern Manhattan commended the NYPD for its counter-terrorism work.
At a press conference held outside the 34th Police Precinct on Mon., Nov. 21st, New York State Senator Adriano Espaillat, New York State Assemblymember Guillermo Linares and New York City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez joined together to praise the efforts of police and of community members who had facilitated Pimentel’s arrest.
"We commend the NYPD for their hard work and diligence in stopping this alleged terror plot," said State Senator Adriano Espaillat. "There's nothing more important than the safety of New Yorkers and today we owe the NYPD a debt of gratitude. We also urge continued cooperation with law enforcement authorities."
All also confirmed the need for continued cooperation and vigilance on the part of community members.
“We're eager to continue working with the authorities and urge all residents to fully cooperate with the NYPD and other enforcement units in keeping our communities safe,” said Assemblymember Linares. “We must pay close attention to this terrorist threat and work together to assure that New York City residents are protected."
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